Explaining Day of the Dead

For the Trail-Gazette

Posted:
10/27/2016 03:14:50 PM MDT

Day of the Dead is a Mexican celebration honoring the ancestors during November 2, coinciding with the Catholic celebration of All Souls Day. Although it is seen primarily as a Mexican holiday, also celebrated in many communities in the United States where there is a large population Mexico-American and in a lesser extent it is also celebrated in some parts of Latin America.

Despite being a morbid subject, this festival is celebrated joyously, and although it occurs close to the Day of All Saints, or the Day of All Souls, instead of feeling afraid of evil spirits, the mood on the day of the dead is much more relaxed, similar to Halloween, with a greater emphasis on the celebration, but honoring the lives of the deceased.

The origins of the celebration of Day of the Dead in Mexico, can be traced to the era of the natives of Mesoamerica, such as the Aztecs, Mayans, Purepecha, Nahua and Totonac. The rituals that celebrate the lives of ancestors were made by these civilizations at least the last 3,000 years. In pre-Hispanic era it was common practice to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.

When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in America in the 15th century, they were terrified by the pagan practices of indigenous people, and in an attempt to convert Native Americans to Catholicism moved the festival to early November to coincide with Catholic festivities of all Saints Day and all Souls. Day of All Saints is one day after Halloween, where the latter was also a pagan ritual of Samhain, the Celtic feast of the day of the dead. The Spanish combined the customs of Halloween with the similar Mesoamerican festival, thus creating Day of the Dead.

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Close to this celebration is the Day of All Saints, All Saints Day, religious holiday celebrated in many countries of Christian tradition. In the countries of Catholic tradition, it is celebrated on November 1; while in the Orthodox Church is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It celebrates all the saints who do not have a day in the church calendar. By tradition is a non-working holiday.

In Estes Park this is the second year we celebrate the Day of the Dead in cooperation with the PTO of the Elementary School and other organizations in town, to validate the Hispanic culture and to integrate the community. The theme of this year is "We Are One" to honor our ancestors and celebrate our uniqueness based on cultural and ethnic diversity. The event will take place at the Commons in the High School on November 2nd from 4:30pm to 8:00pm .

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